CHARLOTTE -- Chris Bosh has been known to scream and yell and pump his fist when he gets excited on the basketball court.

Off the court, however, the lanky Texan is so laid back, you have to slap him on the shoulder to see if he's awake. And that's when he's talking.

Given that, it came as no surprise yesterday when Bosh's reaction to his selection as a NBA all-star seemed somewhat less than frantic.

That is, until a reporter asked him if being named as a reserve to the Eastern Conference team for the all-star game on Feb. 19 in Houston would, in any way, result in his resting on his laurels.

It was at that precise moment when Bosh's eyes widened and his voice became louder. The third year NBAer, who became only the third player in Raptors history to be named to the all-star team -- joining Vince Carter (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004) and Antonio Davis (2001) --vowed that he would never cease to work on his game, no matter how many times he makes the all-star team.

"You have to stay hungry," he said at the team's hotel in suburban Charlotte last night. "A lot of guys, when they make it into the league and they become an all-star, they say 'I'm set. That's it.' As a player I have to make sure that I discipline myself to keep going to be better than before. And not settle for what I have now."

One member of the Raptors who conveyed much excitement over Bosh's selection, was coach Sam Mitchell, who modestly waves aside suggestions that his fingerprints are on the 21-year-old's development into an all-star.

"The thing you're impressed about is he took a beating his rookie year and he played every game. He played hurt, tired, he kept dragging himself out," Mitchell said. "That tells you right there he has heart. We knew he was hurt. We knew he had knee problems, (sore) ribs, all those things. And we were sitting on the bench saying, 'Man this kid is going to be all right.' Because he's still out there battling, getting tossed around, hurting. You know how many people would just say I can't go tonight?"

Mitchell does not buy the argument that Bosh shouldn't have been named to the team because his club has a losing record.

"That argument goes right out the window," the coach said. "I don't even address that because it's stupid to say that. Where would we be without Chris Bosh? ... I don't even want to think about it."

A product of Georgia Tech, Bosh leads the team in scoring (23.0) and rebounding (9.3). He is eighth in the NBA in double-doubles with 21.